Art, Tiki and California

So this is the year of crossing off a few places I’ve always wanted to go and upping my states visited list. I started off year No. 40 with a visit to a place I’ve wanted to go since I was a kid — Disneyland! Yes, it was magical. But first, I’ll take you to the start of our trip — Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is actually another place I’ve always wanted to go. And it is a place I’ll definitely return. We spent two nights in Palm Springs, which I cannot lie, were the absolute highlight of the trip.

We loved Palm Springs and its laid-back vibe. We loved the architecture and tiki bars. We especially loved the place we stayed: the Monkey Tree Hotel. It is weird how sometimes the place where you stay on a trip can totally make or break your time spent there. The Monkey Tree totally made our trip.

The hotel was designed in 1960 by Albert Frey and has since been restored to its mid-century splendor. We loved having coffee and swimming in the gorgeous pool each morning followed by a delicious continental breakfast. Each afternoon, we also searched out the pool to escape from the heat and enjoy happy hour before dinner. I can still see myself sitting by the pool enjoying the views of the San Jacinto Mountains and wish I could return!

Our first day in PS, we stopped by the Visitor’s Center on the way into town and then toured the Palm Springs Art Museum.

That night (after happy hour at the pool) we visited the Bootlegger Tiki bar.

As you’ve read before in my blog, Tim and I have a thing for tiki bars. The Bootlegger definitely ranks right up there with some of our other favorites like Hale Pele. It is a tiny hole in the wall, not really comparable to La Mariana or Trader Vick’s, but still a lot of fun. After a couple of tiki drinks, we ventured on to dinner at Ruben & Ozzy’s Oyster Bar and Grill where I had the best crab enchiladas like ever. Yum.

The next day we started out with a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. This was the coolest tram I’ve ever ridden in. I definitely recommend it if you ever visit Palm Springs. The tramcar rotates as you ascend the cliffs of the Chino Canyon to the mountain summit. While at the top, we did a short hike, and then it was back down.

That afternoon it was a desert drive out to the Integratron. If you want to do a sound bath, be sure to book months in advance. We knew this, but still wanted to see the structure and a bit of Joshua Tree. Next time, I may have to do a sound bath!

After pool time and happy hour, it was another tiki bar — this time the Reef. Painkillers and coconut shrimp made for a perfect end to the day.

Day three was Disneyland! We drove to Anaheim that morning and checked into the Anaheim Hilton, got settled and made our trek just up the street to the park.

What did I love about Disneyland? I loved that everyone wears Disney-gear, I loved the people watching, I loved that you could get several food choices shaped like a mouse and I loved the fireworks, or Spectacular, at the end of the night. Disneyland really does speak its own language, everything moves like clockwork and it was a neat culture to experience. My favorite part of the park was Adventureland, where we took the Jungle Cruise, had a really good lunch at Bengal Barbecue and even saw a pirate! New Orleans Square was another favorite. I got my mouse ears here and the clerk was so nice to ask about our visit. By the time I was out of there we each had first-time visit pins, and I had a pin for my birthday. I was really impressed by the customer service. Another favorite was the Mad Tea Party and the monorail.

I wanted to go on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, but after standing in line for 30 minutes they had to shut it down for repairs.

By evening we were both starting to drag, and there were still a couple of hours to kill before the fireworks. So we took a seat, enjoyed a corndog and took it all in. This did put us in a pretty strategical location to watch the Spectacular. Another thing I forgot to mention is the volume of people. Crazy. The Spectacular was really amazing, and after the show, we wandered through Downtown Disney and visited Trader Sam’s. Yes, another tiki bar, and a really fun way to end our day. This will definitely be a favorite. The bar was really crowded, but a nice couple let us share their table. Ended up, they also love to visit tiki bars in towns they visit, so we had a nice talk. It was nearly 1 a.m. when we got back to our hotel.

The next day was a chill beach day at Huntington Beach. Lunch was at one of my Hawaiian favorites — Dukes! We got back to our hotel before rush hour, rested a bit, with dinner at another Hawaiian favorite — Roy’s in Anaheim. We’ll just call this the beachy Hawaii day, with a fireworks ending (we could see the Spectacular on our walk back from Roy’s to our hotel). Fitting for my birthday trip, right?

Day 5 it was time for a change of scenery, and we headed to The Getty. We got there mid-morning and finished up right around happy hour time — how convenient! This time we visited another tiki bar we’ve been wanting to visit since the last time we were in LA — The Tiki Ti! 

The Tiki Ti was really cool. Another little hole in the wall, but the atmosphere and people made it totally worth it.

We also changed hotels to an Airbnb in Sherman Oaks. Fun little story about our Airbnb — it was owned and operated by the American Girlfriend from Sixteen Candles. I kid you not! She gave us an autographed picture and everything! Dinner that night was at an amazing Mexican restaurant called Casa Vega.

Our final day we met a friend of mine at Venice Beach for lunch on the rooftop of the Erwin hotel. After that, Tim and I got in one more art museum: the Broad. We saved the best for last! This was an awesome contemporary art museum in a really cool building in downtown LA.

Monday morning it was a travel day, and the end to a great trip! Next up North Dakota and New England states, which will bring me up to 49. I can’t wait to tell you more about those!